The blog contains articles by the author which appear in various newspapers in Kashmir and are also available on the website: www.kashmirfirst.com

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Physical Social Disconnection!

(The
people seem to be socially disconnected physically from each other due to the
events of last couple of decades. This in turn has resulted in many
psychological problems!)

In 2015, Medicines Sans Frontier conducted a survey
in Kashmir about the mental health of the people. “Nearly
1 in 5 adults (19%) in the Kashmir Valley is living with significant PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms, representing 7,71,000 individuals, with
2,48,000 (6%) meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD,” a report of the
research released by the MSF reads. According to the report one out of every
two adults in Kashmir is mentally disturbed. This mental disturbance is
reported to be the result of the violent conflict in which the valley had been
caught for last couple of decades. However, apart from the stress due to the
violence and conflict all around, one of the other most important reasons is
the virtually total physical social disconnect due to the prevailing
circumstances.

Traditionally, Kashmiri society has always been very
active socially. Generally, people have always remained in continuous touch
with relatives living in different parts of the city and even in the entire
Vale of Kashmir. People in each locality have stayed in touch with their
neighbours routinely and would also participate in various social functions
even regardless of the religion. There used to be very active inter-religious
interaction before the eruption of militancy in the nineties of the last
century. The social disconnection initially
resulted in nineties due to continuous infamous Cordon-and-Search Operations
(CASO) often referred to as ‘crackdowns’ and unending strict curfews. People
preferred the “safety” of their own homes. However, the early part of the
present century did give some relaxation and people had again started getting
socially active. But the events of 2008, 2010 and finally those unfolding in
2016 forced local people to remain stuck in their own homes.

Incidentally, the people in rural
areas have remained socially more connected with one another unlike the
urbanites especially those living in some areas of Srinagar. During the
disturbances of 2016, people in most of the rural areas came closer to each
other because of the continuous onslaught resultant from CASOs, encounters and
so on. Apart from these security operations, the other most important factor
for total social disconnection has been the unending calls for bandhs and
hartals which always confine people to their homes. Whether there are calls for
shutdowns from leaders or there are “restrictions” from the government, the
result is the same: confinement of people to their homes! Nobody likes to
venture out in both the eventualities unless there are compelling reasons such
as sickness, mourning and so on! All these years people in general and
sometimes even close relatives have been meeting each other only on two
occasions: marriages or funerals!

The physical social disconnection got
a shot in the arm by the sudden outburst of the social networking sites like
the Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. Now people don’t have to move out at all.
All interactions are done virtually through these extremely popular sites. In
fact, people have been turning into “couch potatoes”, thanks to these sites!
Even though these sites allow people to be in virtual touch with one another
for all social functions and other events yet these are no substitute to actual
physical interaction. The physical interaction in which people hug each other,
shake hands, touch each other and feel each other is totally different and has
its own great psychological advantages. Over a period of time people lose touch
with the physical reality of other people and even things. The only advantage
of these sites is keeping one updated with happenings all around. It is the
fastest news disseminating media regardless of the fact whether the news is
correct or incorrect. The most in thing these days is WhatsApp. Not only are
people using it as the fastest means of communication for transferring data,
photographs, videos but also as an easy tool for video calls. At the moment it
seems to be the most used information tool on the information highway of Internet!
It has also many other advantages such as an aid in education, an important
marketing tool and so on. However, in no case can it replace the actual
physical interaction.

In recent times, people have once
again started meeting each other off and on. It is a good sign for reviving
physical interaction. However, the friends instead of meeting in hotels and
restaurants need to meet in peoples’ homes. Meetings in peoples’ homes are more
informal, interactive than the formal or even informal ones in public places.
Apart from this there is urgent need to revive the practice of visiting
relatives and friends quite often on a regular basis. The visits should not
remain confined to marriages and condolences only! Another decent way of
reviving physical social interaction is something like a Coffee House. In the
past, the Coffee House was the main point of meeting and interaction. One could
sit there for hours on end, discuss various topics on just a few cups of
coffee. We have now no such places anywhere. Most of the public meeting places
like restaurants are quite expensive and people cannot sit there for a long
time. Can some people come forward and set up a society to open Kehwa Khanas on
the pattern of Coffee Houses in various urban centres? These could be the
meeting places for intellectuals, journalists and others. Food for thought!
Incidentally, the journalists have a Press Club now (though it will be fully
functional by mid-2018). Hopefully, it will be made as lively as the Press Club
in Delhi! A meeting place for the intellectuals. Let us hope the Physical
Social Interaction fully revives and the Medicines Sans Frontier’s next survey
gives a healthy report about Kashmiris!